1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an electrosurgical instrument and, more particularly, to an electrosurgical instrument including a knife blade stop configured to limit proximal and distal movement of a knife blade of the electrosurgical instrument.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrosurgical forceps are well known in the medical arts. For example, an electrosurgical endoscopic forceps is utilized in surgical procedures, e.g., laparoscopic surgical procedure, where access to tissue is accomplished through a cannula or other suitable device positioned in an opening on a patient. The endoscopic forceps, typically, includes a housing, a handle assembly including a movable handle, a drive assembly, a shaft, a cutting mechanism such as, for example, a knife blade assembly, and an end effector assembly attached to a distal end of the shaft. The end effector includes jaw members that operably communicate with the drive assembly to manipulate tissue, e.g., grasp and seal tissue. Typically, the endoscopic forceps utilizes both mechanical clamping action and electrical energy to effect hemostasis by heating the tissue and blood vessels to coagulate, cauterize, seal, cut, desiccate, and/or fulgurate tissue. Typically, subsequent to effecting hemostasis, a knife blade of the knife blade assembly is deployed to sever the effected tissue.
Conventional endoscopic forceps, typically, utilize one or more components associated with the endoscopic forceps to limit proximal and/or distal movement of the knife blade assembly. For example, one or more of the jaw members, shaft, cam or pivot pins, which are, typically, hard surfaces, are sometimes configured to contact the knife blade assembly (or operable component associated therewith) to limit movement of the knife blade assembly in either of the proximal or distal directions. Repeated contact between the knife blade assembly and one or more of the aforementioned components may cause the knife blade assembly to develop what is commonly referred to in the art as “fatigue cracking.”